The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-12-01
JACK AND JILL.

Two figures standing in the bay-win-
dow of country drawing room; glori-
ous Summers sunset was gliding the
topmost branches of the trees in the old
garden with its last rays, and the chimes
in the village church-towcr rang out
eight o'clock. Their sound broke long
silence which had reigned in the room,
and the young man, fixing his eyes on
his girl companion, spoke hurridly.
II did not know it was so late! must
be off, or l shall miss my train to town,
and my regiment at Portsmouth, and all
my chances of getting on in the world.
But, by Heaven, I'll do even that, if you
will only say to me 'stayr"
''But I don't say Stay, Jack; l say
Go, Go, and God bless you"
There was deep tenderness in her
low voice which any man might have
been proud to hear, but, because she
would not grant him his wish, young
Marriott found her harsh and cruel.
"And what's the good of that, if you
yourself won't bless me, Jilla What
else in the world do I care for but
your"
e''Then go and do your duty, and
prove yourself worthy of mc!''
"But if you will not promise me that
you will be mine9" he asked sadly. And
Jill went on to answer him in her sweet
est, firmcst way.
II have told you, Jack, that, though
will not promise now to be your wife,
will promise it to you in three years,
or sooner, If you come home
and, till then, you and 1 are both of us
to be free. I know my own heart we'll
enough, and I daresay you think you
know yours, but how can you tell with
whom you may fall in love while you
are away9 You are only one-and-
twenty now, and l am almost the only
girl you have ever known. How can
you tell what the world may have to
teach you and show you9"
ooh, my darling! No one else in it
can ever be the same to me that you
arer
"Well, then, if you think so after
three years, will be your proud wife.
Surely, if we are in earnest, we can be
true to each other without any formal
promise to bind us! And if we cannot,
then it will be ten times better for US
never to have been engaged. Now
goodbye, jack" she added, after ,
pause. GAS you say, if you stay longer,
you will really be too late. Goodbye"
"You are SO calm and quiet. All
Jill, if you cared as much as 1 dop
And he seized her hand and covered i
with kisses.
She was very calm, certainly, but TO
all that, when IN another moment h,
was gone and there was no one to Sc
her emotion, she threw herself on tn
sofa, murmuring between her deep sobs
"Oh! my darling, my darling! And h
thinks it is because do not love hin
enough. Am right to treat him SO
Is it wise2"
| Was she right? Was it wise 7 A
any rate she had sent him away fror
her. And as he left her that Summer
evening, bright, splendid, perfec
knight, whom any fair lady might wel
be proud of, she never saw him again.
And yet it was because he was so splen
did that she had refused his pleading:
Jack was the only child of the squire {
the parish, General Marriott; and Jan
Armstrong, once named Jill by Jac
and afterward universally called so, wa
the eldest daughter of the rector. Th
rectory garden was bounded on tw
sides by the woods around the hall, anc
from their childhood, Jack and Jill ha
been accustomed to play together du
ing the holidays like brother and siste
When she was seventeen and he min
.. teen, he passed with credit into the el
gineers, and went up to Chatham
study, and when he came back from h
first term there, the old relationship b
|. tween the two was at an end, a chang
in it being unavoidable, if sad. Jill W,
shy and Jack officiously polite; wearin
his best clothes when he was likely
I meet her, bringing her flowers from h
: fathers conservatory and grapes fro